Our Inner Demons
by king of ramen
Summary: Shinji's Inner Demon Unleashed! : Shinji Ikari, the third child, and previously somewhat normal fourteen-year-old boy is thrown into a dark and sinister world when his father calls upon him to fight the angels, however when his Eva reaches the surface...
1. Shinji's Inner Demon Unleashed!

Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of it's characters. All characters are the property of Gainax. However, I do own my demons. I make no profit by writing this story so please don't sue me because I have no money.

AN: Alright so here we go again right? Yet another attempt at fan-fiction which will probably fail but hey...I got better. I hope. Reviews will keep me going people so tell me if you like it or even if you don't like it.

"LAUNCH EVA!!" and so it began. The inexperienced Shinji Ikari was launched up to the surface of the Geo front without any instruction on how to control the enormous bio-mechanical war machine. Sachiel's ominous black body and bird-like mask of a face was advancing on him slowly, yet the poor boy knew not how to defend himself. Cautiously he attempted to move the mechanized creature's gigantic purple armored foot but alas, he only managed to make it trip and fall on its knees. "I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'M GONNA DIE!" Sachiel moved as though to strike a finishing blow to the Eva's horned head but it never got that far. Instead it and the rest of the world around the boy simply froze in place.

A profound and maddening silence filled the air until at last someone spoke though it was a voice Shinji had never heard before. "Young Shinji Ikari… One meek of heart and without courage… Why do you not defend yourself? More importantly…Would you allow that girl that you just saved to be killed so soon after her rescue? I am a being that sees all things but is sworn to tell only what a mortal already knows. What you know is that Rei Ayanami should have died today, along with the rest of mankind." Shinji looked around for the source of the voice but could find none in the small cockpit. "Who are you!?" Shinji wanted to sound strong and demanding but instead his voice sounded frightened and weak. The voice laughed, a deep and rich sound.

"I am called Courage and I am your inner demon. I represent the features you most lack young Ikari. You have been chosen and are the bearer of the true strength of humankind, a True Demon. Though that is not entirely accurate it is the closest explanation I can give while using your language." Shinji looked around him again, still searching for the source of the strange voice. "A demon? I thought demons were supposed to be evil…Why would demons want to help us?" Courage laughed heartily and spoke as though explaining something very simple to a small child. "If the angels win then what of us demons? There must be shadow to balance the light. If humans are gone then there will be no wrongs committed. No sin and no hate. No greed or lust. How would we survive in a world solely of light? You humans too need these things though… they are what drive you whether you believe it or not." Shinji shook his head and gave a small smile. "No I understand perfectly. Whether one strives to not feel those things or embraces them, they still drive them forward one way or another."

The demon gave a booming laugh, but it was a warm and charitable sound. "So the boy is not without wisdom after all! Very good! However, there is a stipulation for receiving the aid of a demon. You must make a pact with me Shinji Ikari. A pact forged of blood. Just a drop will do though, you needn't cover yourself in it like so many of your kind believe. Just bite your thumb until it bleeds and ask for my aid when you need it." Shinji nodded solemnly and moved his thumb up to his lips, then slowly placed the tip of it between his teeth and bit down hard. The pain was immediate but he tried not to pay it any attention.

"Good…Farewell then Ikari. Remember…Call my name when you require my aid." Shinji nodded again and smiled briefly, then looked at the monitor in front of him as the world slowly began to pick up speed, Sachiel's clawed hand moving more and more swiftly toward his Eva's chest. "Courage! Come to my aid and abolish this light with the darkness of humanity's shadow!" Shinji's eyes rolled up into his head the moment he said this and his skin began to darken, going from a faint tan, to pale, to ash gray swiftly. His top canines lengthened and curved until they extended past his lower lips. His body began to age rapidly until it ceased to be that of a fourteen-year-old boy and became that of a man of medium build. His hair rapidly lengthened until it reached his waist, growing black and floating around him in the LCL. His clothes ripped and tore until they were nothing more than rags draped over him, revealing bright red tribal markings as they slithered their way over his skin.

When Sachiel struck the Eva it gave before him and collapsed in on its self in a rain of bodily fluids and grotesque giant organs. Somehow Shinji Ikari stood atop this mess, pristine and untouched. He was completely immaculate and moreover he radiated inhuman amounts of power. From his back sprang two black wings, bat-like in appearance that were as long as he was tall. The curves at the tops of his wings started at his shoulders and the tips stopped at his ankles. He spread them wide as his eyes unrolled, now a bright and fiery red, making his form seem immense and powerful, if small compared to the massive angel. His nails hardened and lengthened into razor sharp claws, completing his transformation. "You're going down." With those words spoken he flapped his mighty wings and rose rapidly into the air so that he was before the angel's bright red core, with a wicked grin he darted forward and in an instant was on the other side of the angel, a gaping hole in the creature's core behind him.

With a shriek it fell to the ground, crushing several buildings and sending a shock-wave through the city that sent debris flying everywhere. Shinji Ikari gently touched down on the asphalt near the angel's foot and collapsed, falling into the deep blackness of unconsciousness.

"Sir, was that part of the scenario?" Fuyutsuki looked to his commander with a mildly concerned look on his face. He knew the answer to his question but felt better having it confirmed. Gendo frowned behind his neatly folded hands and watched the monitors on his desk closely, watching the first child closely as well as the new pilot who had just lost his Evangelion unit and yet had still killed the angel and ripped through its AT field as though he didn't even know it was there at all. At length the commander of NERV spoke. "It is not, but perhaps we can still use this to our advantage if we play our cards right. Get him restrained and sedated heavily Fuyutsuki." The tall man nodded and backed away into shadow to issue the orders as quietly as possible. It wouldn't do to have a lot of people knowing that their savior was bound and drugged in some lab at NERV.

Shinji woke up screaming. He was screaming at the top of his lungs mindlessly. It was a sound of immense suffering and unbearable pain, almost inhuman. When he finally quieted he looked around at his surroundings, his head turning quickly as his eyes darted about. He was in what appeared to be an enormous glass tube with large machines above and below him serving as the top and bottom. Thick nylon bindings held his wrists and ankles and prevented him from moving, suspended in the LCL filled tube. Outside of the tube was darkness save for one place. A large desk with a monitor and equipment he could neither name nor truly describe. "Where am I!? What's going on!?" His voice was full of fear but also a hint of rage. He was nude and as he looked down at himself to realize this he also noticed that his body had returned to its previous condition. "Was it all a dream? Is this… a dream?" "I'm afraid not third child." The cold voice of Shinji's father could be heard from speakers inside the tube. In the silence that followed that statement Gendo walked into the light and stood beside the desk with a small microphone in his hand.

"You are an oddity and must be studied. We will understand the power you wield or you will die from our attempts. If you live you will fight as our weapon against the angels. If you do not then the small explosive in the back of your head will detonate and you will die. Do you understand?" Fear filled Shinji's body as Gendo held up a small detonator in his free hand, his thumb hovering over the button that would end his son's life. Though terrified beyond the ability to think he managed to give a slight nod of understanding and to his relief this seemed acceptable to the dark man. "Good." With that Gendo receded back into the shadows. Shortly after that the blond woman he had met earlier with Misato Katsuragi appeared, holding the same microphone Gendo had been holding. "Let's get started then shall we Shinji?" With a smile she sat at the desk and began typing something on a keyboard he couldn't see. A loud whirring noise came from above him and two mechanical arms descended from above him, one ending in what seemed to be a large pair of tweezers and the other in a scalpel. "We'll need a tissue sample of course…"

Thus began a long series of tests and scans that caused the boy immeasurable amounts of pain and anguish. For almost thirty-six hours this went on. He begged and pleaded with her but she seemed to be deaf and perhaps she had actually turned off the microphones in the tube he was in. Finally, it all came to a sudden halt and he heard her speak into the microphone, his mind barely registering what she was saying. "I think I deserve a break don't you?" With that remark she left him alone as she walked into the darkness, leaving the microphone on the desk. Shinji passed out soon after that, feeling himself slip into the comfortable darkness of unconsciousness.

"He awoke with a start, lifting his head to look at the desk where the girl he had protected sat, looking at him with a cold curiosity. She was dressed in her school uniform and most of her bandages were gone now, only the one over her forehead and her left eye remaining. "You are the third child correct? The pilot of unit one?" Shinji somehow found the strength to nod an affirmative and Rei tilted her head to one side in curiosity, showing an unusual amount of expression. "Why is it you are being held here?" With all the strength he possessed he managed to utter a single word. "Study…" He rasped but Rei only frowned and pressed a button he could not see. "Repeat." She commanded but he shook his head slightly and looked at her with dismay. Rei sat down and looked at the monitor, then began typing on a keyboard he could not see as Ritsuko had. He flinched but when no pain came to him he opened his eyes to see that she was looking at the monitor intently, studying his test results apparently. "Subject Shinji Ikari for study by Dr. Ritsuko Akagi. You are being studied?"

Shinji managed to nod his head again but only just, the last of his strength seemed to be gone. Rei looked at him, then at the monitor again with an empty look on her face, a cold and expressionless mask. "I have gone through the same. You will survive even if only just." Shinji's eyes flicked up to her and they were full of shock. He found himself able to speak again if only for a moment. "Survive? There is an explosive in the back of my head!" He rasped out his reply and fell silent again, his throat burning with need for water. The LCL appeared to be continuously filtered thankfully but it still could not keep him hydrated forever. Rei looked at him carefully then spoke. "I will point out your physical needs to Dr. Akagi." With that she turned to leave him alone once again in the darkness but he called after her and she stopped. "Wait!" She turned and looked at him quizzically. "Yes?" the microphone on the desk picked up her voice fairly well from the three feet she was away from it. "Stay with me please? Just until… Until it starts again." Rei frowned and half turned toward what he supposed was the exit. "I can't." Shinji's eyes fell to the floor as she said this but lifted again when she continued. "But I will return tomorrow." With that said she disappeared into the dark again.


	2. A Place To Call Home?

Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of its characters. All characters are the property of Gainax. I make no profit by writing this story so don't sue me 'cause I haves no money.

AN: Well I hope that the story progresses to your satisfaction! If you have any ideas let me know and I'll see about working them in. I write for da people!

Shinji's screams of pain had stopped long ago. Now he only hung, suspended in the LCL, appearing as soulless as Rei Ayanami herself. On occasion he would nod his head in answer to a question, sometimes from the good doctor and sometimes from his father, but otherwise he was motionless. Rei had not come back as she had said she would. Perhaps a thought that would have occurred to some would be that she was ordered not to, but for Shinji every thought was brief and fleeting. "What is your purpose, Shinji Ikari?" His father's cold voice penetrated the fog of his mind like a hot knife. "My purpose is to defend humanity from the threat of the angels." Gendo smiled at this, a rare and ghastly sight to be sure. "Good. You are dismissed."

Doctor Akagi pressed a large green button with an air of gravity, as though she thought the commander's decision unwise. "Sir, we still don't understand what-" Gendo looked at her with his usual stone-faced glare and she quickly grew silent as the LCL began to drain from the tube. Even when the LCL was gone Shinji did not stir. He simply hung, suspended in the air by the nylon bindings around his wrists and ankles. He was still nude, but seemed not to care in the least. He did not stir, did not speak, and if one wasn't looking closely they would think he was not breathing either.

Ritsuko stepped forward into the tube as part of the glass slid away automatically to form a door for her. She reached down and deftly unbound his ankles, causing his feet to drop to the floor and his legs to straighten. When she released his wrists he simply collapsed in a heap on the floor, eyes wide and watching her alertly though the rest of his body refused his every command. "Captain Katsuragi has requested that the boy become her charge and live with her." Ritsuko spoke almost casually as she injected Shinji with a strange bluish liquid from a syringe. Gendo spoke in monotone as usual. "I find that an acceptable arrangement. You will take the boy to her residence." Ritsuko gave a curt nod and stepped out of the chamber, which Shinji had spent seven long days in. "Yes sir." She responded just as flatly as Shinji shakily rose to his feet, finding new energy and not caring where it came from.

When Gendo had left Ritsuko and Shinji alone she made a quiet disapproving noise and looked at the haggard boy for several minutes. "You have some clothing under the desk; your school uniform. Put it on and I will drive you to the apartment complex the Captain lives at." Shinji nodded and walked behind the desk that had been such a mystery to him in the beginning. Now it was just a desk and a somewhat large computer monitor along with a standard keyboard. A few buttons were on the desk itself, but these did not interest him as they once might have.

Once he had his school uniform on he turned and looked at her with sad blue eyes and asked a single question. "What time is it?" Ritsuko marveled at the fourteen-year-old boy. Here he was, finally free from the torturous testing and the attempted brainwashing experiment and he was still so quiet and restrained. Truth be told the only visible difference between what he was like when she first saw him at the elevator and the way he looked now was a small scar on his right arm where the tissue sample had been taken and the way his eyes looked. They were eyes full of sadness and pain, a living testament to what he had endured further brought to attention by the deep purple bags under his eyes.

"The time is oh five-hundred hours. Why do you ask Third Child?" Shinji looked at her seriously for several long moments, as though her statement was information more valuable than gold. "I would much rather go to school today and simply walk to the complex after the day has ended. Would that be acceptable?" Ritsuko frowned as she considered this, and then nodded her head in agreement. "However I would like you to walk to the school from the complex so that you can learn the route. Are you sure you want to go to school Shinji? I was told by the commander that due to your… little display against the third angel that you would have the option of attending school or not."

Shinji looked at her in confusion for several minutes as he processed this in his mind. After a few minutes he nodded but still looked confused. "I want to go, but why would my father be kind enough to give me that option?" Ritsuko's next words were given in a rather matter-of-factly tone, as though it were obvious. "He doesn't want there to be any conflicts between yourself and students that are unsure of what to think of you." Shinji nodded and his eyes dulled some upon hearing his father's real intentions. "So he doesn't want me to be involved in any unfortunate incidents with the general population because that would look bad on him and the rest of Nerv." Ritsuko nodded curtly and without a word walked toward what Shinji could now tell was indeed an exit.

Shinji stood on the steps that led into the school with a small torn slip of paper in his hand that read simply "Class 2-A." With a small smile Shinji walked into the building, only seeing a few other students sitting outside in the early morning sun. The moment he was inside he took a deep breath of the filtered air inside and enjoyed the artificial breeze generated by the air conditioning. As he looked about he saw a few other students roaming the hall aimlessly, none of them seeming to take notice of him in their early morning daze. One of them however was watching him with narrow, accusing brown eyes. He was muscular and wore a black tracksuit issued by the school to its athletic students. His short black hair was swept back and his mouth was set in a taught line across his face.

The boy stood and moved to stand in Shinji's way, forcing him to stop or bump into the jock. Shinji opted to stop and looked at the boy with a warm smile, extending his hand to shake in greeting. "Hi, I'm Shinji Ikari." The jock only stood there and looked at Shinji angrily, not saying anything for several long minutes. "I know who you are, you sick bastard! You're the guy that killed the angel. The one that let it fall. And you're the one that got my little sister hurt!" By the time he finished his statement the jock's face was turning red and he was yelling loudly. Shinji seemed to shrink away as he dropped his hand, casting his eyes to the ground. People began to stare at the two of them and Shinji could hear hushed whispers.

"My name is Toji Suzuhara, and I'm going to kick your skinny ass!" Shinji winced as Toji picked him up by the collar of his shirt with one hand and raised the other into a fist. "Toji don't! He could kill you with both hands behind his back you idiot!" Toji looked over at a smaller boy of about the same age and growled wrathfully. "I don't care, Kensuke! I don't care…" the boy pushed his round glasses up his small nose and sighed, closing his eyes. Toji turned back to the small figure squirming in his grasp and pulled his fist back. "This is for my sister you rotten piece of shit!" He brought his fist flashing forward and in an instant Shinji's world was dark.

He awoke in a bed, staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling. He turned his head to look to his left and saw that he was in a small room, a desk set against the wall at the far end of the room and a dresser near the end of his bed. His cello was the only thing unpacked among the small number of boxes and this was only because he had refused to put it in a box because it might have gotten damaged in the move if he had. He found it leaning against the wall near his dresser with the bow on the floor next to it. When he kicked the covers away he found that he had been undressed to his boxers and blushed faintly at the thought of his new guardian undressing him. The embarrassment was quickly shoved aside however as he moved to sit at the end of his new bed and picked up his instrument, then set it in front of him and began to play a soft slow tune that he had just learned. It was one that often instilled a feeling of sadness and loneliness and he thought that it reflected him nicely.

Misato knocked on his slightly cracked door, causing it to open and let more light into the room from the hall outside. When she saw him bent over his instrument slightly, face serious and eyes shut as the bow moved across the strings of his cello fluidly thanks to a practiced hand, she stopped and forgot what she had been going to say. She found herself instead lost in the music he was making, the melody bringing a single tear to her left eye as she listened. When he finally let the flow of music come to an end she found herself quietly applauding and smiling uncontrollably. "Shinji that was…Amazing. Your file said that you were an amateur and that you lacked notable skills with your instrument, but that was…"

Shinji opened his eyes and looked at her with a small smile, his face reddening slightly at the compliment as he laid his cello against his bed and placed the bow beside him. "I'm not that good Captain. I just had a fantastic teacher." Misato frowned at the use of her title for a moment and shook her head. "Call me Misato, and of course you're good!" Shinji's smile widened slightly and he seemed to begin to accept the compliment. "Well thanks Cap-…I mean Misato. So this is your apartment?" Shinji looked around his room for a moment and then at the door that led out of it. "OH! Duh! I meant to give you the tour!" Misato walked over to him briefly and grasped his hand in hers, then began to lead him about the apartment, showing him the rooms in it to which he gasped at the state of filth each was in.

When the tour was finally over he found himself sitting in the small kitchen across the table from Misato who only looked at him innocently and tossed a can of Yebisu over her shoulder onto the pile of cans and instant dinner trays that he supposed must cover the trashcan. "What's wrong Shinji?" Shinji only shook his head in disbelief, just barely managing to close his mouth. "Your apartment is a mess Misato. Doesn't that bother you?" Misato only shook her head with a small smile and walked over to the fridge to get another can of Yebisu. When she opened the door she seemed to quietly berate someone under her breath and came back holding a can. She sat down with a plop and seemed agitated.

"Is something wrong Misato?" The purple haired woman looked at him curiously for a moment until it dawned on her what he was talking about. "Oh yeah I'm fine!" Shinji nodded and decided not to press the matter further. After several moments Shinji stood up and began walking toward the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower now Misato." Misato nodded and gulped down the rest of her beer. "Alright Shinji. I'll make us some dinner!" Shinji didn't reply but instead got into the shower and began to wash himself clean.

When he got out he tried Misato's 'cooking' and made the first meal they would share together in the Katsuragi apartment. Misato was slightly insulted, and Pen Pen was happy that he had scared the living hell out of a teenage boy taking a shower.


	3. Rei's Inner Demon Released!

Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of its characters. All characters are the property of Gainax and I make no profit by writing this story.

AN: Thanks for the advice animefan29 I'll put it to good use. Actually I have a little surprise up my sleeve regarding the demonic powers issue that I think you will all enjoy. Heh heh.

The days passed quickly for Shinji. Toji ended up apologizing to Shinji for the black eye he had been given and Kensuke was properly introduced. They became fast friends as the days wore on, but Shinji could sense their residual fear of him. His 'abilities' marked him as a freak and a horror to some while to others it made him a celebrity of sorts. He hated both kinds of attention and did his best to be as unnoticeable as he could, but to little avail. Rei Ayanami remained absent from school and he found himself growing concerned as the days wore on. She had, after all, been in serious condition when he had first seen her in the Eva cages and her recovery had seemed too quick when he thought about the way she had looked when she came to him in that immense dark room.

Toji was the first to notice how distant Shinji seemed and proceeded to ask how he was in the usual way, by punching him in the arm and saying, "What's the matter Shinji?" Shinji gave a small shout and rubbed his arm as he walked to school next to his friends. "You just hit me! That's what's wrong!" Toji laughed as Kensuke just watched them quietly with an amused expression on his face. "C'mon Shinji you've been acting all gloomy and thoughtful since you left your apartment. What's on your mind man?"

Shinji looked at Toji seriously for several long moments before finally opening his mouth to speak only to be interrupted by the school bell. "Oh shit we're late! Move it guys!" Kensuke yelled back at them, already running toward the school. Toji laughed and sped up to run next to Kensuke, keeping pace easily as Shinji did his best not to lag too far behind.

When he walked into the classroom he was berated by the teacher along with Kensuke and Toji for several minutes until the teacher finally gave up and told them to take their seats. They did so quickly and quietly but Shinji looked around the classroom for Rei first. He saw her at last, sitting in the desk next to the window, looking outside blankly. He quietly took his own seat not far from hers and proceeded to spend the class period daydreaming and stealing glances at the blue haired enigma.

At lunch he, Toji, and Kensuke took their spot on the roof and ate their lunches in companionable silence. About halfway through lunch Shinji spotted Rei in a far corner, reading a book and eating her meager lunch of rice, bread, and miso by herself. Everyone seemed to avoid sitting next to her and even looking at her. Shinji grew curious, then noticed that he was in much the same position save for his few friends. _We're the same…_ was his thought as he finished his lunch, the bell ringing soon after.

As the final bell rang he watched everyone rise from their seats and begin to depart from the room in an orderly fashion, calmly and quietly making their way out the door. Shinji marveled at the scene with rapidly building disgust. He knew not why but their calm and reserved behavior reminded him of a timid flock of sheep heading blindly for the slaughter. To him it seemed that they were so afraid of death and pain that they allowed people like **him** to do as they damn well pleased so long as they were 'protected' when in truth that protection was nothing more than a thin shell separating them from cold reality. They were so weak! Tiny little insects running about and kissing that bastard's feet. They lacked spine! They lacked strength! They lacked- "Third child… Were you not aware that class had ended?"

Rei's soft and calm voice penetrated the red fog that was clouding his senses like a beacon. He suddenly realized where he was and that he was griping the front of his desk so hard that his knuckles were white. When he looked up into her pale face he found himself slowly growing at ease and his grip relaxed, the wood of the desk creaking with the release of the intense pressure it had been under.

Rei's eyes widened for a brief moment when he looked up at her in brief surprise but the emotion he saw in her eyes was quickly stifled. "Were you aware that the pigmentation of your eyes has changed noticeably Pilot Ikari?" Shinji looked at her seriously and shook his head in a negative gesture. "I'm not really a pilot anymore Ayanami but no I wasn't. What color are they?" Rei looked into his eyes for several long moments before answering, choosing her words carefully. "Your eyes are almost identical in color to my own. Perhaps some type of irritant has gotten into them. Do they burn or itch?" Shinji's now crimson orbs widened greatly and he shook his head slowly, now unable to speak at all.

"Perhaps you should go to the infirmary or see Doctor Akagi. This is not… Normal behavior."

Shinji looked at her in disbelief for several moments. At length he stood and walked slowly out of the classroom without a word. Rei watched him go blankly, then chose to follow him for her own reasons, no doubt revolving around a logical conclusion of her own making. Shinji paid her no attention, but instead walked into the boy's restroom, the door swinging closed behind him as he walked over to the sinks and looked into the mirror at his face.

Rei frowned as the door swung shut on her, stopping a mere inch from her face. She looked at the sign next to the door that signified this as a men's restroom and seemed to be debating whether she should go in or not. At length she seemed to give up on monitoring the Third Child's condition and turned to leave, only to spin back around and dash into the restroom without hesitation as she heard Shinji yell loudly followed by the sound of breaking glass.

Shinji was gone. No, not gone… Only pushed aside and forced to become a spectator. Something else had him now. Courage… Rei found herself not three feet away from a being that had destroyed an angel without any effort at all. His large, black bat-like wings brushed against the walls, knocking tiles away as he stretched them out. His shirt was completely ruined, a pile of tattered rags on the floor beside him. His pants were ripped and torn along the legs up to his thighs but appeared otherwise intact. His shoes had exploded though as he no longer wore the shoe size of a fourteen-year-old boy obviously enough.

The red tribal markings that adorned his body moved along his entire body in odd swirling patterns until they curled around his face, framing it perfectly. His hair was longer like before and as he stood there in his terrifying glory Rei found herself feeling a new emotion. That emotion was fear. She was paralyzed with it and she didn't know why. Rei knew full and well that he had no desire to harm a human being and wondered in truth if he could do it even if it was necessary. Yet there was a part of her that not only feared Shinji as he was now but also hated him a great deal. That half of her writhed in agony deep within her soul as fear, hate, and even pain seared through it.

"Your time is nigh, Angel but it has not come yet. You have nothing to fear of me for the moment but there will come a time when you must be torn from the body you now inhabit and dragged into the shadows." With those words spoken he thrust his wings up above him, through the thin ceiling with ease as though it wasn't there, then brought them down to his sides in a sweeping motion that sent him up and through the roof to the sky above.

Rei found herself watching him fly majestically toward Nerv and thinking deeply of what he had said. Finally she came to the only logical conclusion. "He knows that I am of Lillith." Then the sirens began to blare. Tokyo-3 was under attack again, but Rei found herself only mildly concerned. "Commander Ikari will not be pleased."

The Inner Demon of Courage stared at its advancing foe evenly, obviously unconcerned, from the shoulder of Eva Unit 00. With a small smirk on his face he touched the comm. link attached to his left ear and spoke loudly and clearly, obviously not confident in the ability of the technology he was using. "This is my opponent!? This weak, armless, near defenseless little thing!? And what is that pink cloud-looking thing over its head?" Courage mocked his foe over the comm. line and found himself barely suppressing his laughter. "Strong to you or not, Demon, that Angel is a very real threat to humanity and you will refrain from making a joke of our peril! Is that understood?" Gendo spoke over the line in a cold even tone with just a bit of edge to his voice.

Apparently the sound of it was enough to even rattle a demon as he fell silent quickly and awaited his orders. "Good. Now then, I want Rei to move in first and attempt to intercept the Angel on her own with you staying behind as backup. Do you understand?" Courage immediately looked outraged of course. "You want me to WHAT!? You would put human lives at risk for what? To satisfy the pride of some girl?! Or is this more about the pride you have in your precious Evas?"

Gendo's voice this time was even colder and more menacing than before. "This has nothing to do with pride for me as it may with you, Demon. For your information we barely managed to recover the core from Unit 01, and if we hadn't I think I might have had you held personally responsible. Unless you want me to consider our conversation as your insubordination then be silent and follow orders. Is that clear?" Courage laughed but said nothing and took flight, hovering behind the white giant as it began to slowly and cautiously move toward its foe.

Courage watched the Eva advance slowly on its foe with mild curiosity, only wondering how long it would be until she had to retreat. It didn't take long for the Angel to go on the offensive, tentacles made of lasers sprouting from what looked to be arm stumps and lashing out at her with blinding speed. She raised her AT field just in time to block the tentacles but they began to batter against the field relentlessly, causing it to slowly weaken and crack. As it battered at the protective field it continued to advance toward her, the power of its attacks increasing the closer it got.

With a cry she felt her AT field slip away and her right arm get severed at the shoulder. As the Angel moved to slice away her head she closed her eyes and waited for the peace that came with unconsciousness but it did not come. Instead she heard a loud shriek from what she assumed was the Angel and opened her eyes. Before the face of her Eva and big as life on her monitor was the body of Courage. His wings flapping powerfully to keep him in place and what appeared to be his own AT filed extended in front of him like a shield, blocking the Angel's repeated attempts to end her life with its long deadly arms.

Doctor Akagi looked at the readings coming from the Demon as he had come to be known with disbelief as most of the staff stared in amazement at the AT field Courage had produced. It was truly massive, as tall as a skyscraper and one and a half times as wide, actually shaped like an ancient shield. However there were further oddities about it. Instead of the usual orange hexagonal patterns it was bright blue and appeared not to have any breaks suggesting a geometric pattern at all.

Doctor Akagi looked at the visual monitor, then at the readings with wide eyes and loudly asked a question to which no one could have an answer. "What the hell is that!?" Maya looked at her superior curiously, then turned to her monitor and found herself just as surprised. "Its…. Its pattern is the exact opposite of an Angel's AT field. In fact…It's not an AT field at all!" Ritsuko quickly pulled up the Angel's AT field pattern and then the Demon's for a comparison on the second largest monitor on the bridge.

Maya was correct in her assessment as the Magi made the comparison even though it was easily something that could be seen to human eyes. The wavelengths were exact opposites down to the very last detail. As Ritsuko and Maya went over the data Gendo and the rest of the crew watched as Courage began slowly advancing on the Angel, its laser-like tentacles bouncing off the shield as he tried desperately to maintain it and push it forward at the same time. For a while it seemed he was succeeding but his advancement on the angel began to slow and his wings began to beat more and more weakly as his strength waned. "Too…Too strong…I can't…I can't hold it off."

Rei watched as her would-be savior's strength waned and finally failed him, the shield falling at last and a laser like-tentacle flying out to end his life. Curiosity suddenly turned to horror and she cried out and reached to grab him away but she knew she wouldn't be fast enough. What happened next was the most confusing thing to happen to her in her life to date. Time actually began to slow before her very eyes, first to a crawl and then to a complete standstill. The Angel's tentacle that meant the Demon's end was but a foot away from his tired form. He had begun to fall when time stopped, eyes closed and seemingly fast asleep.

"What… has happened? This is not possible." Rei stared at her monitor in utter confusion and disbelief. "It is and it has happened. I have stopped time so that we may converse openly my child. I may only do this once however and not for as long as my dear brother so we will have to make this as short a conversation as possible." Rei looked about her, clearly startled to hear a foreign voice but more startled at her odd revulsion at the presence of this strange being that she could only hear. "What do you want of me!? Who is your brother!?" Rei asked her questions quickly with none of the fear in her voice that she actually felt. Rei heard soft, musical laughter that made her heart soar and sink at the same time. "My brother goes by the name of Courage in the language of man and it is not a question of what I want of you my child but of what you want of me."

Rei's face took on a look of profound confusion once again as she spoke. "I am not your child… and I do not understand what you mean." The laughter again that both excited her and filled her with a cold fear. "Do you want to protect this boy who laid down his life for you?" Rei frowned and spoke once again in monotone. "The Demon?" The voice, soft and feminine, made its reply. "The Demon of Courage supplied the power but it was young Shinji who wanted to protect you. Courage cares only for facing his foes in battle and not for any who would be in harm's way. Though his intentions are good he does not always consider the risks he may pose to himself and others."

Rei listened carefully and voiced her next question with carefully chosen words. "How did Shinji obtain his demon?" The voice laughed lightly once more. "Why he formed a pact of course. He was one of the three chosen out of all of humanity by our kind to receive our three most powerful warriors. Once long ago this was a more common act and much easier to do… Alas, those times are long dead. However, we may not discuss this now. My power to distort time's flow is fading and so we must make our own pact now. You must spill your own blood Rei. Just a drop will do however, don't go killing yourself just to make a pact with me." Rei moved her thumb to her lips but it hovered there and went no farther.

"Who are you though Demon?" The demon's response was quick, sure, and proud. "I am known in your language as the Inner Demon of Love. You were chosen for me as the quality I represent is most lacking in you out of all of mankind." Rei nodded solemnly and asked her final question. "What must I do to receive your aid when the pact is finished?" The voice of the demon replied and Rei could almost feel the smile it must have been wearing. "You only have to call my name when the pact is done and I will come to you." Rei nodded and with that, bit her thumb until the plug suit and her skin gave way and her blood was spilled into the LCL.

Rei watched as time began to crawl forward again, Courage fell just fast enough so that the tentacle just missed him and flew toward her instead. Just before the tentacle could slice her Eva in two she managed to find the words to summon her demon. "Come sweet Love and banish the pain light brings with the warmth of shadow." Her eyes rolled into her head and her body shook when she finished her words. The Angel struck her Eva and it was sliced cleanly in half, and then assaulted again and again by further blows until nothing remained but a heap of seared and scorched metal and flesh. Atop of this disgusting pile that was once an Eva was the most beautiful sight man has ever observed.

Glowing white wings that were much the same in their shape as Courage's sprouted from her back as her height increased before the eyes of those who watched. Her hair lengthened and grew straight down her back to reach her waist. As she grew taller her plug suit ripped and tore until it was nothing more than rags on her rapidly maturing body, barely obscuring her assets from view. Her curves grew more defined as her body filled out and her skin grew so pale as to appear to glow itself. Her crimson orbs remained the same color as they had always been and as she smiled up at the Angel one could almost see it shiver with what could have been fear if it was capable of such feelings.

Slowly she spread her wings and began to rise without beating them a single time. At length she found herself hovering in front of it's core and in a simple gesture she extended her arms out so that her palms were facing each other as though she were going to give some tremendous clap. On either side of the angel appeared two enormous light blue walls, larger versions of the shield Courage had made before though they lacked the shape his had.

Instead hers were two walls, twice the height and width as the one Courage had produced. With a soft smile and a muttered apology she brought her hands firmly together and a split second later the two enormous walls came crashing together and crushed the Angel utterly. When the walls disappeared what was left to fall to the streets below was a rain of blood-like fluid and crushed innards. The Inner Demon of Love slowly descended to the ground to stand before Shinji Ikari and smile warmly at him before she fell to her side and was delivered at last to the inky blackness of unconsciousness.


End file.
